


An Evening to Remember

by orphan_account



Series: Here There Be Dragons [3]
Category: Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Genre: Completed, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-10
Updated: 2014-11-10
Packaged: 2018-02-24 21:19:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 3,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2596769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Completed. Fic after 'New Beginnings'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Digital Media Power Couple

"William Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Margaret Bennet were engaged to be married on December 22nd 2015. He proposed to Lizzie while they both visited her family for Christmas. Beyond delighted she, of course, said yes.

We tried to ask CEO of the world renowned Pemberly Digital some questions about his engagement when he was at a digital media conference last week, but the only answer we really could get out of the shy man was, 'I am delighted to be engaged, despite how hectic it has been since.'

"Lizzie, however, was a bit more forthcoming when we managed to get some questions in at the same conference. When we asked how the wedding planning had been going she said, 'Oh horribly. Will insists on getting a wedding planner, but with our family and friends I think we have a wedding planning company in itself.'

"We also got some more amusing answers out of the CEO, including her plans to host her sisters and mother this weekend so they can go wedding dress shopping at all the boutiques in town, and of course, show them all the important places around our city.

"With family coming into town, and a large wedding on the horizon it seems that this Digital Media Power Couple has a good future ahead of them. Maybe we will even see a wedding installment of Lizzie's popular vlog. (The Story of the Best Dance Ever?!)"


	2. Newsworthy

"Ugh," Lizzie muttered when she finished the article. She still couldn't believe she had been interviewed by paparazzi, much less be tabloid worthy. Yes, her engagement was a big deal to their families but to the rest of the world? Surely Kim Kardashian would have bigger news than hers.

Someone knocked on the door of her office, and stuck their head in. "This a bad time?" Darcy asked, looking concerned. "You look frustrated." 

Lizzie smiled, thinking of how much she loved that he could discern her emotions in mere moments. And it is not like she wasn't an open book already. But Darcy's caring face had tipped a little to far, so she hurriedly said. "Nah, just a stupid magazine article." 

"What's it about?" 

"Us, surprisingly." 

"Really? I don't think it's that surprising, I've been in hundreds of tech- oh. A tabloid?" He was utterly surprised when he picked it up. "Never would have guessed." 

"Thank you, someone understands," Lizzie said, throwing her arms into the air, as if she was praising God. "Lydia just congratulated me." 

"Well we deserve it. After all, now all the mom's shopping at supermarkets will read about us." 

Lizzie laughed. "I don't think you came to talk about this however, what's on your mind?" 

"I wanted to take you out for dinner. The last one to ourselves for a few days, as your mother is coming into town tomorrow." 

"Aww, how sweet," Lizzie said. "Bend down so I can kiss you." 

He obliged bending down so he just hovered over her, his eyes gleaming. "You know Lizzie, now that we are in the tabloids, we had better watch ourselves. Who knows what the public wants to see, now." 

Lizzie rolled her eyes, and grabbed his dangling tie, using it to pull him down, as she sat up so, finally, they could share a kiss.


	3. Yes To the Dress

Wedding dress shopping is hectic. There is the color (surprisingly more than white), and fit, and sleeves, and length, and the theme of the wedding has to tie into the dress (why?). And if all that isn't enough questions you get interrogated about your fiancee the people that have decided to come with you to help out with the crazy stress of the entire day. And all in all it's crazy, and overemotional.

For Lizzie, it was no different. Well, except for one thing. She had her mother. Her mother who insisted upon a dress made almost entirely of lace. And not only was it ugly, it was at least $500 out of her price range. But she kept pushing it on her, saying "But Lizzie, it's reasonable to break your budget for a dress so nice. I'm sure Mr. Darcy will love this one more than that one you picked out."

>"Mother!" Lizzie said, frustrated. "That does not factor into this, because no matter what I wear, even if it's a potato sack, Will will most assuredly adore me in it. Also, it's five hundred dollars out of my price range, that's a double no. And to make it a triple no" now people were staring, "It's not what I'm looking for."

"Lizzie, calm down," Jane said, becoming mediator. "Mom, we're going outside to calm ourselves down. Lizzie, Lydia and Gigi, please continue looking. I'll be back in a minute." 

The hunt resumed. And continued. All weekend they searched, scouring every boutique in town. And, nearing the end of Sunday night, just as every dress in the stores were beginning to blur together they found one. Well, Jane and Gigi found one. 

And what a dress it was. Cream, with just subtle lace accents, that swept the floor. It brought tears to everyone's eyes and as Lizzie stood there, staring into the mirror, she thought for the first time  _this is is. I finally feel like a bride. I'm. Getting. Married._ And it was a wonderful. 

As they stood there, in the last boutique, Lydia ran up and wrapped her arms around her sister. Then Jane joined them. And then Mrs. Bennet, hurriedly wiping tears out of her eyes. Then a reluctant Gigi. And there they stood, hugging and crying, and laughing. Because Lizzie was acually getting married. Her perpetual singledom was done for good. 


	4. FroYo and Freaking Out

'Darcy met them at a FroYo place, a worried look on his face. First had come a text with a list of wedding venues, then a text that read 'Meet us at that FroYo place a block from LM -Lydia."

He had hurried out of the office as fast as he could, and hurried downtown as fast as he could. And, inside the restaurant, he saw the three of them all clutching (very large) tubs of FroYo and looking at several pieces of paper spread out across the table. 

"Lizzie," he asked, sliding into the booth next to her, "What's wrong?"

"The venue. I've found so many options and I can't decide, and It's freaking me out with all these decisions, and sometimes when I'm doing this I feel like I can't breathe and that it would be better to go get married in Vegas, but then I think about you and Mom, and how you want to have a church wedding and how romantic it'll be and I just- just." She huffed, loudly, while Lydia and Mary stared at her. 

Darcy, however, didn't look surprised. He just slid his arm around Lizzie and pressed a kiss into her temple, sliding the pieces of paper over to him. He began to look through them, gently running his hand across her shoulders, and back. 

"Well," he said, a few seconds later. "I really like the Gothic architecture one. It will be churchy, but I kind of like the idea of getting married in an actual church," he smiled at Lizzie. "Do you like that one?" 

"Yes," she breathed, and spooned more yogurt into her mouth. "I like that idea, I'll book it right away." 

Lydia and Mary smiled at each other, glad this emergency was over. 

Half an hour later the church was booked, and they were getting ready to leave. But before Darcy could climb into his car to go, Lizzie caught his arm. 

"Darcy," she breathed. "Thank you. You were a great help today, really. It just really reassures me that you're there for me when I need you to be." 

"What else is a husband for?" he said, smiling.


	5. Bridezilla

A few weeks passed, uneventful. There wasn't much going on in the world of wedding planning. All the dates for cake tasting, and caterer choosing were set. The wedding was a month and a half away. There was no reason to panic.

That was, until, their venue got canceled due to the church severely flooding due to a leaky pipe. That's when the panic set in, and unbeknownst to him, Darcy came home in a wonderful mood, smiling brightly.

"Good evening Lizzie," he said, dropping a kiss on her head. "What's new with you"

"Fucking wedding venue cancelled," she muttered.

"What?" He asked. "That church we agreed on?"

"Yeah. Now everything is booked up. The flower one, booked until seven. The gothic one, booked until 6. Everything. Gone. It's hopeless, we might as well be married on the roof."

"Don't say that. If we can't find a venue open at 4, then we'll push it back an hour."

"And change every invitation?" Lizzie snapped.

"We would have to do it anyways," Darcy said.

"Like I didn't already know that. Will this is a mess. A mess. A godamn mess."

"Lizzie, calm down," he said reaching out to touch her shoulder.

"Never tell me to calm down, Darcy." She was livid, and smacked his hand away. 

He reeled back slightly, but dove in again: "Lizzie, I only meant that your temper is a little high right now-" he tried.

"Oh really. I wonder why. Oh maybe because we have 100 invitations with the wrong venue and we're getting married in a month with nowhere to host it. We might as well drive to Vegas."

"I don't care Lizzie, as long as we're legally married at the end of the day," he said, getting exasperated. 

He had to stay calm because he knew how much they both would regret it if this blew up any bigger. But no matter what he said Lizzie would take it horribly. 

"You don't care. You don't care. Of course you wouldn't. You're so typical Darcy. Make me do all the work because you don't care."

"Lizzie," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Come here."

"No!" she snapped. "A hug isn't going to solve this Darcy. This is a disaster, and I'm left alone to deal with this because you. don't. Care." 

"Lizzie," he snapped. "I do to care. I love you, and we can get through this. It really frustrates me when you say things like that." 

"I-" Lizzie stopped, and threw herself on the couch, trying not to cry. "This is disaster." 

"Lizzie," he sat next to her, and wiped the tears off her face. "I'll take care of it, okay. Don't you worry for a second, I'll deal with the venue stuff." 

"Really?"

"Yes. Now come on, dry your eyes, lets forget about this over a nice dinner. We've been eating leftovers out of the fridge for far too long." 

"I really don't deserve you." 

"Yes you do, you deserve someone who loves you. And will always love you." 

"I'm sorry," she said, nuzzling her head into his shoulder. 

"It's okay," he said, pressing a gentle kiss into her hair. "Apology accepted."


	6. Right. Here.

"Will," Lizzie moaned. "You drag me out of a very important workday, and you won't even tell me what for?"

"Like I said five hundred times since I picked you up, It's a surprise, do you not know what those are?" he teased. 

Lizzie huffed, and turned on the radio while looking out the window for clues.

But where they pulled into was confusing. A nice neighborhood, with large houses and very green lawns. She had no feasible idea what they were doing here, and Darcy seemed almost confident behind the wheel, smiling at certain buildings as they passed through. He obviously knew this place. 

Then they turned down one of the long driveways, and her confusion grew. "Will, seriously, what are we doing here? Just turning around or-" he turned the car off grinning. "Stop smiling at me like an idiot, tell me what the hell what we're doing here." 

"You'll see in time, Lizzie. All in time." 

"I will not get out of this car until you tell me what we are doing here," she said, crossing her arms in pure stubbornness. But she smiled. 

Darcy, however, was not happy. He stared at her for a moment trying not to smile. Then he got an idea and the dorky grin spread back over his face. He bent down, trying to not bump his head on the low door frame. One of his arms slid under her knees, and the other behind her neck. Then, carefully, he picked her up. 

"There," he said, looking proud. "You don't' even have to move. Now, I brought you here because this is the old family home. My parents bought it after they had me. I've known this house forever. And, I figured it would be a wonderful place for a wedding. 

The interior was beautiful. A massive living room that could easily hold the people coming. Darcy ran around the space, describing what he had planned in his head. Then he grabbed Lizzie's hand, and dragged her next to the large window. "Here is where we will get married, Lizzie. Right. Here."


	7. A Not-So Coward

After a passionate kiss on the soon-to-be-altar Darcy, dragged Lizzie around the house, showing her where they used to live.

His old bedroom looked like him. Grey, drab paint on the walls but with colorful posters that ranged from an interest in cars, to computers. Pictures completely covered the closet door. Fitz, Bing were in most of the ones on the top.

"Will, why is this room still covered in you?" Lizzie asked. "I mean, there are clothes in the closet."

He sank down onto the bed, and said, "after my parents died I couldn't take this place. It smelled like them. Looked like them. I expected them to be waiting with a hug every time I walked in the room. So, after the funeral I took what was needed, and Gigi and left. I finished grad school, took care of her, and ran Pemberly all at once. In that time I set up a trust for the house, rented it for a bit, and didn't visit."

"Will," Lizzie said, sitting next to him and hugging him as he began to cry.

"I was a coward, Lizzie. I couldn't take the house. I left it forever."

"No you didn't. You took care of it and yourself. You did what was best."

"I just wish we used it more often. If it weren't for the news, my neighbors would think I was dead."

"But we are using it. As a wedding venue it's perfect. And use it as a vacation home. To get away from the big city life."

"Lizzie," he said, cautiously. "I was wondering if it could be our home. More than a vacation home. If you use the back roads it's a 15 minute drive into the city. 30 with traffic."

"Will," Lizzie said, mind quickly coming to it's decision. "I would love to. If you want to live here, I will live with you. You are my home, no matter if we are in an apartment or this monstrosity."

"It is quite large, isn't it?" he said, looking around. "It even has a guest wing."


	8. Sisters and Smiles

The weeks flew by filled with crazy wedding details. Cake tasting. RSVPs. Seating arrangements. Guest arrangements. Honeymoon planning. It was insane. Lizzie would have been driven crazy seven times over _a week_ if not for Darcy's constant calming, reassuring presence. It was the true test of their relationship. 

And finally it was  _that day._ The day they had been waiting for forever. Or, at least what felt like forever. It was really only three and a half years (almost to the day). For Darcy the morning was relaxing as it could be. But for Lizzie? 

Her day began off with a bang. Or, more appropriately, a Lydia. Jumping on the bed, happily cooing, "Lizzie's gunna get maaaaaaarrrrrrriiiiiieeeeeeeeedddddddddd! She's not gunna be ssssssssssiiiiiinnnnnnngggggggllllllleeeeeeeeee!!!" 

Lizzie groaned, and struggled to sit up, glaring at her while saying, groggily. "Yes, and this to-be married woman needs her sleep. Shove off." 

"You need your sleep cuz you're not going to get any for the next week?!" asked Lydia, cackling. "Sorry sis, but you set yourself up for that one!"

Lizzie kicked Lydia in the shin, managing to make her fall off the bed, still laughing. It was the thump of Lydia landing on the floor that brought Jane. She walked into a sight. A lump under the covers (Lizzie) and a sister rolling on the floor, laughing, while clutching her elbow. 

"Lydia," she sighed. "That's not nice, get off the floor, you'll mess up your hair." 

Lydia sat up, smiling, and left the room. "Enjoy you're beauty sleep while you can get it!" she called, still cackling. 

"I am so sorry Lizzie," Jane said. "I brought you some tea, and to tell you we are not leaving for brunch for another hour, so sleep in as long as you would like, okay?" 

"Okay," Lizzie grumbled, her head, and hands emerging from the covers. "You're the best Jane." 

Then, left alone for another blissful hour of sleep, tea and a good book Lizzie found herself smiling broadly. Today was the day. 


	9. Fatherly

Lizzie was panicking. It was five minutes to 4:00 and she couldn't move. She kept pacing for the door, then back to the mirror, then back to the door, and back to the mirror. She couldn't' get up the courage to just march out that door no matter how many times she looked in the mirror. She just couldn't.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. She told them to open it, as she was currently sitting in the chair, feeling faint. It was her mother, come to shriek about how it was her duty to march down that isle. Or Jane, here to be too kind. Or Lydia to do her little sister thing. She couldn't take it.

"Lizzie," it was Mr. Bennet .The second person she wanted most right now. The one who would manage to do everything right, despite being the most clueless in the room. In the building, really. "What's wrong?"

"I'm nervous," she sighed, feeling glad to admit it to someone.

"Hi nervous, I'm dad," he said, beaming. And when Lizzie looked at him in astonishment he said, "Last opportunity, really. Thought I should do it once in your life."

She laughed, heartily, and stood up to give him a hug. He had done it again, made her feel good without really trying.

"Thanks Dad," she said. "That was truly perfect."

"Thanks. Anyway, I hear that you can't' go out there."

"Yeah. It's pathetic, really."

"Not really, lets sit for a minute. We have time, don't' worry. They can't start without you." he chuckled at his joke. "Anyway I want you to describe how you feel about Mr. Darcy."

"First of all, you can call him William. Or just Darcy." Lizzie said, "And I feel at home around him. Like I fit. Like we click. We're best friends, really, but I love him too much for a friend. He understands me, he helps me. He loves me. And I understand him, more than anyone. What we have is just, right."

Mr. Bennet smiled. He wondered how he could have been so lucky, yet unlucky, to have daugters fall in love with such good people. "LIzzie, just so you know, I am so proud of you. No matter what. And I know you want to get married so, what I want you to do is take all that emotion that you feel inside you, now, and use it to propel yourself down those stairs. Think about William Darcy, and your feelings for him, and march. Own the stage, if there is one. But there isn't . It's just you two."

"Just us. Just us. Me and his beautiful blue eyes. And words. Just words. Different ways of saying 'I love you'," Lizzie said, vocalizing her thoughts. 

"Exactly, Lizzie. Now, as much as it hurts me to let my favorite girl go, I will help you."

Lizzie slid her hand into her fathers, more than grateful.


	10. Different 'I Love You'

Lizzie clung to Mr. Bennet all the way downstairs. He was her life preserver in this sea of confusing emotion. That and, he wouldn't let her trip. For a few seconds there she berated herself for letting Lydia talk her into these goddamn heels. She would kill herself in these, most assuredly. And this dress was another nucince, it was like having lead sewn into her backside. 

But then, she saw him. Standing there at the altar in his typical black suit, white undershirt and. Red. Bow. Tie. His eyes were fixed on hers, and saw the mirth that bubbled up in them as she tried not to laugh as she got closer. He knew right then that wearing this tie had been totally worth it, just for that expression on her face when she saw it. Hell, this whole wedding was worth it when he saw her for the first time in that dress. 

"You had better have the hat to go with it," she hissed when she finally reached the altar. 

"I would never go anywhere without it, dear." 

And there they were, smiling at each other, oblivious to the whole world as they sealed their futures together forever. With words, and rings and then, finally, a (rather long) kiss. 

Darcy swept Lizzie into his arms, and carried her down the isle, smiling, well, smiling like a man who had just married the love of his life. And, as soon as he was out of the church, Fitz handed him something, and without shame, he stuffed the hat onto his head. 

Lizzie nearly died with laughter.


	11. Dancing

The reception was beautiful. Flowers, and ribbon and (fake) candles. Plus a massive dance floor where, once most of the guests had arrived, Darcy dragged Lizzie onto. As the music started, he whispered into her ear, "Time for a redo?"

And what a redo it was. He, literally, swept her off her feet. His smile was permanent as he took full advantage of the large dance floor. This was no swaying back and forth, this was a wide, expansive, waltz that left Lizzie breathless.

"Thank you," she whispered to him as they sat down. "That was beautiful."

"No, thank you for a second chance."

"It really wasn't a problem. You deserved it." 

The rest of the reception went perfectly. It was flawless, the food spectacular, and the dancing more then fun. Lizzie really saw Darcy letting go, laughing at her failed attempts to stuff cake into his mouth, his laugh making his hands shake, and spill a splotch of frosting on Lizzie's dress (to Mrs. Bennet's horror). And Lizzie, refusing to stop stealing Darcy's hat, no matter how many times Jane told her that it would absolutely ruin her hair. It was a night that they would remember forever. It was a night of their dreams, surrounded by family and dear friends. Gigi wouldn't stop grinning, as well as Jane. Fitz was cracking dirty jokes (to Darcy's utter humiliation) and Lydia made an entire toast with a list of reasons 'Why Lizzie Bennet Will Never Get Another Guy to Love Her as Much as William Darcy'. Mrs. Bennet pumped her fist more then once. Mr. Bennet sat their quietly, grinning. 

Once, towards the end of the evening Darcy sat down next to Lizzie and said, "This song is really catchy, and really good for dancing."

Lizzie laughed, and once again let him lead her onto the dance floor, letting him sweep her off her (bare) feet.


End file.
